Page 40 of A Little Bit Reckless
“I missed you too,” she said. She was such an awesome match for my brother and balanced him so well. Thatcher could be insane, and Aspen was so level-headed.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, and returned her to my brother who quickly put his arm back around her. It wasso weird to see my brother in love. He’d definitely been a huge ladies’ man in high school.
“Snowflake took a break from the tour to visit me,” he said. I didn’t know what it was with my brother and his friends. They seemed to always give their girlfriends nicknames. I didn’t know why Thatcher called Aspen “snowflake,” but the term of endearment never failed to bring the joy out on her pretty face. He brought her close. “I guess she missed my ass.”
“Hardly,” she said, teasing when she jabbed him. She looped her thin arms around his large waist. “Your brother basically begged me.”
“Yeah, I did. Because I missedyourass andthisass.” He caught her butt in his hand which made my face hot and his friends roll their eyes. Wells actually groaned. He mentioned something about not wanting to see all that, and Thatcher flipped him off.
“Fuck you,” Thatcher said, then picked Aspen up by, well, her ass. She squealed and he smacked it. My brother grinned. “Anyway, if you need us, Imma be letting Aspen know exactly how much I missed her in my room.”
“Thatcher, come on!” Aspen kicked, but she definitely giggled. Wells groaned again, and Bru laughed.
“Yeah, I’m not staying here tonight,” Wells said after Thatcher and his girlfriend disappeared down the hallway. Aspen continued to giggle the entire way. Wells cringed. “Fucker and I share a wall, and I’m not trying to hear that shit all night.”
Wells grabbed his hoodie off the chair he’d been sitting on this evening. Apparently our tutoring session was over, and he wasn’t even staying to eat the celebratory omelet he made.
Wells tugged his hoodie down over his shirt, then pushed up the sleeves. “I’ll probably couch-surf with a friend tonight.”
He didn’t say it, but thatfriendwould probably be one of his casual hookups. He most likely would be bedding with a girl orguy tonight, sans couch. His evening might even include both knowing him.
I didn’t know what impulse made me move my feet, but a burst of panic hit my chest thinking he’d hook up with someone tonight. I followed him to the door.
“You can stay at my place.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. Before I realized how weird and stupid they were.
Wells turned around. He’d been at the door and had a joint pressed between his lips. His eyes narrowed. “What was that?”
I supposed I had spoken kind of fast. I mean, I panicked.
Why had I panicked?
I didn’t know, but with those words out there, I had to follow them up. My shoulders rose, my body suddenly feeling small. I messed with my hands. “I said you can stay at my place.”
Wells’s blinks were rapid before his head shot back. “What are you talking about? And where would I even stay?”
Thewherewas easy. I may have had a one-bedroom dorm, but I had a futon. My heart raced. “It’s just you said you needed a place to stay and I have that futon and everything so…”
It was dumb. So dumb, and I wished I hadn’t said anything.
Immediately, I thought to backpedal, but when I opened my mouth, Bru stepped forward.
“I think it’s a good idea,” he said, surprising me. He shrugged. “It makes sense, and anyway, if Wells doesn’t take the offer, I will. Thatcher and I share a wall too.”
“Nah, I’m taking the offer.” Wells flicked his joint to the other side of his mouth. He stepped right up to Bru. Wells’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re gonna come too, you can put your ass on the floor and sleep there.”
Bru’s expression cooled. “Fine.”
“Fine,” Wells said.
I glanced between the two of them and that lion comparison came to me again. They were like two peacocks showing off their feathers, but that didn’t make sense. No, it wouldn’t make sense.
At least when it came to me.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Wells
